Colorado GOP to Libertarians on Sen. John Morse’s recall: Please don’t run

When Democrat state Sen. John Morse won his re-election bid in 2010 by a mere 340 votes, Republicans blamed the Libertarian in the race.

When Democratic Sen. Edie Hudak won her re-election bid in 2012 by just 584 votes, Republicans blamed the Libertarian.

So it’s not surprising that the issue of a Libertarian candidate has surfaced in the recall election of Morse underway in El Paso County.

“Please try to appeal to the Libertarians not to get into this race as well,” one person posted on Facebook. “The only thing they could accomplish is to re-elect Morse! I couldn’t possibly think of a way for a bunch of Libertarians to become more hated!”

The post was about the two Republicans who want to succeed Morse, should he be recalled over his support for gun-control issues and his leadership style. Some high-profile Republicans are urging the pair to agree with a system for selecting just one candidate in order not to split the vote if Morse gets recalled, which would likely ensure a Democrat would win the seat.

Travis Nicks, the former chairman of the Colorado Libertarian Party, has long scoffed at the notion that Libertarians cost Republicans victories.

“What many Republicans don’t understand is votes are earned. They don’t belong to Republican candidates,” he said. “If Republicans put up better or more liberatrian-minded candidates they wouldn’t have to worry about the Libertarian in the race.”

Why do the Republicans just assume all of those libertarian voters would vote Republican in this instance? Why wouldn’t some of them vote Democratic because of social issues? Even more so, why wouldn’t some of them just stay home and not vote? There is just this huge assumption that all of those libertarian votes would have gone Republican.

There are in fact libertarians who do vote Democratic just as there are libertarians who vote Republican. It just depends on what issues matter the most to that individual. Sure, one could argue that it would be inconsistent for a libertarian to vote Democratic but it would be just as inconsistent to vote for a neo-con Republican. As a libertarian myself, I would never vote Democratic and I wouldn’t vote Republican either (unless the candidate was, in effect, a libertarian). It’s not about the Left vs the Right, it’s about the State vs. you, me, and everyone else.

The bigger percent would vote Republican. The proof will be if the Democrats do not ask the Libertarians to not run a person in the election. In fact I think they will tell the Libertarian to run someone to take votes from the Republican. Why take the chance if it means getting anti-Second Amendment Morse back in office?

This is untrue. The treasurer of our local LP used to vote Democrat. I voted for a Democrat once.
The thing about a libertarian is that we vote based on the candidate, not the letter behind their name.
2012 I did not vote LP in my State House district because I do not like the candidate. I actually voted American Constitutional Party.
My vote will never steal from someone that deserved my vote. If you only gave me Obama and Romney in the last election (instead of the 16 candidates that were on my ballot) I would have skipped the question entirely.
If you are worried about LP “stealing” votes it’s time to go to Approval Voting. Then they can vote for the cadidate they really like and vote one of the Duopoly as a ‘back-up vote’

I agree with a minor exception that I would prefer Instant-Runoff-Voting to Approval voting. IRV clearly shows your order of preference for the candidates so even if your first choice does not win his or her party gets useful feedback. With Approval Voting the message sent by your vote isn’t as clear. I do concede that Approval voting is usually easier to implement. Either system however would be a great improvement over the current system.

I said the majority of the vote that goes to the LP in El Paso county would go to the Republician. Not all ! If this were not the case the Republicans would not be concerned about it helping Morse to win. If the Democrats say nothing on the issue or encourage a Libertarian to run even you guys will have the admit we are right!

If the Republican party puts up a decent qualified candidate with conservative principles and a more libertarian outlook(which they haven’t been able to for many years), then there would be no need to have a Libertarian party candidate.

I think that where the Republicans make their worst mistakes is by trying to legislate morality. Social issues are best left up to the individual and shouldn’t be politicized. Lets agree on the true issues which are small, unobtrusive government and more liberty.

They both do that. I have been listening to the Dems screaming for women’s rights. ‘Her body-her choice’ over abortion. Then the other night I saw a liberal woman having a fit over legal prostitution in NV. She flat out said she would take away their rights to ‘save them’. They were legal and happy with what they were doing but she did not like it and it out to change that law.
Then we have Bloomberg wanting to dictate to everyone what they can and cannot eat, drink, do…which btw he funded all this gun crap here in Colorado. I would say your statement is the pot calling the kettle black.
If you don’t get that both parties are corrupt up to their ears and we need to get them out period there is no hope for this country. Bush laid the groundwork for Obama. They are two heads of the same beast.

Saying that we libertarians are hated is not a good way to inspire us to vote along party lines. Maybe if the republicans took a little more time protecting civil liberties, instead of pandering to big business and the military industrial complex, they might pick up a few votes. The idea that voting outside party lines is a wasted vote is foolishness. The only difference between democrats and republicans is who they are going to sell us out to. Vote with your conscience, not to be on the winning side.

What a hard hitting piece of journalistic integrity…thanks for sharing someone’s Facebook post Lynn, that REALLY must make the Democrats you work for so happy, as I’m CERTAIN that the Republicans are ready to throw in the towel now that you’ve enlightened us all to the fact that, wait for it, “Libertarians” might put up a candidate too…way to go Bartels.

Politics
as usual… the Republicans don’t want any competition so that they can keep
doing to this country what they’ve always done. “Mitt Romney”, need I say more?
If so, let me remind you that Romney signed into law the forerunner of
Obamacare for cry’n out loud!… and he was who the Republicans wanted us to vote
for? Mr. Nicks is right, if the Republicans would return to their roots
and fight for smaller government, I doubt that there would even be a
Libertarian Party- after all, why would anyone need them if the GOP espoused
small government libertarianism? But the fact of the matter is, elections are
about choice, and both the Democrats and the Republicans offer the same choice –
big government. The people deserve to have a choice. The Republicans had
the opportunity to stand up for small government and endorse marijuana
legalization, but they did not (but the Libertarians did)! They had (and have)
the opportunity to stand up for small government and open the borders to
immigrants, but they do not (but the Libertarians do)! They had (and have) the
opportunity to stand up for small government by respecting ALL people’s right
to love whomever they wish (gay rights), but they do not (but the Libertarians
do)! The fact that they are willing to fight for a person’s right to defend
himself (guns) does not give them a pass on other civil liberties. So here’s a
message to the GOP, stand up and defend ALL of my rights, and I will vote for you,
until such time – GIVE ME CHOICE!

As a former Democrat, I can no longer in clear conscience
vote Democrat. The party of Jefferson has gone so far from his ideals that I
doubt they could identify him in a line-up. The Democrats no longer understand
who it is exactly that actually earns the money that is in my bank account, and
for some reason they believe that they can make better investment and
purchasing decisions than I. With that, what the Republicans fail to understand
is that I will NEVER vote for their candidates as long as they continue to espouse
the “war” of big government (war on immigrants, war on privacy, war on
everything middle-Eastern, war on drugs, war on “terror, etc… etc…). If there
is only a Democrat and a Republican in the race, I don’t vote. So to say that
they are losing my vote if I have a choice to vote Libertarian is simply wrong
and I’m TICKED!!! I am so ANGRY at this article that if there is NOT a
Libertarian in the race, I’ll likely hold my nose and vote Democrat out of
spite!

BINGO-you get it!!! That is why the fed up Republicans came up with the TEA PARTY! The Dems need to do the same thing. Abandon your party-they turned their backs on you first. We need to make our focus on the Constitution period and neither party does that any longer. The Tea Party does. God if we could just get people to shut off MSM and go see for themselves instead of listening to the talking heads lie all day long about our new party….It should be a big red flag to every American that Obama targeted that specific group using the IRS. They are scared to death of the Tea Party because they don’t want Americans to have a good understanding of the history of this country or the Constitution. The Dems should start their own grassroots party and restore our government to what it is supposed to be.

The two parties, in the name of decorum, order, making things less messy, etc., love to eliminate all contenders, except their “chosen one”. I think that’s absurd, but it’s even more absurd that the Republicans feel they have the right to tell the Libertarians to butt out!
Last time I checked, this is a free country, and Libertarians are able to organize and run for office as they see fit.
Further, there’s no primary process in this recall, no conventions where the Republican Grand Poobah can anoint his or her favored candidate. Anyone who collects enough signatures can make the ballot.
We’re talking El Paso County, here. A county not exactly over-run with liberals. Isn’t just a wee bit possible that had the Republicans chosen a better candidate in the first place, a candidate who better represented the views of Republicans and like-minded Libertarians, that John Morse wouldn’t have been elected in the first place?
Don’t blame the Libertarians for your lousy candidates, Republicans.

The two parties, in the name of decorum, order, making things less messy, etc., love to eliminate all contenders, except their “chosen one”. I think that’s absurd, but it’s even more absurd that the Republicans feel they have the right to tell the Libertarians to butt out!
Last time I checked, this is a free country, and Libertarians are able to organize and run for office as they see fit.
Further, there’s no primary process in this recall, no conventions where the Republican Grand Poobah can anoint his or her favored candidate. Anyone who collects enough signatures can make the ballot.
We’re talking El Paso County, here. A county not exactly over-run with liberals. Isn’t just a wee bit possible that had the Republicans chosen a better candidate in the first place, a candidate who better represented the views of Republicans and like-minded Libertarians, that John Morse wouldn’t have been elected in the first place?
Don’t blame the Libertarians for your lousy candidates, Republicans.

Sadly the way politics in this country work it is true and it works out that way. I just educated myself on how this states districts were re-organized to get more Democrats elected in the recent past. They are doing all kinds of things we don’t even realize behind the scenes.

This is another reason to support IRV which requires that a candidate ultimately accumulate a majority of votes from non-exhausted ballots to actually be elected. Especially in a contest where there was no primary to whittle down the number of candidates from each party, this is especially important.

If the GOP nominate an anti-choice bible thumper they will lose, if they nominate a pro-choice candidate they will win. Ill make it real simple. If you mess with the women, they will mess with you back…If you try to limit their rights, they will limit your rights…It really is that simple…

This is what you call a very narrow minded voter. One issue determines her vote. Death. The freedom to kill, stop a beating heart. Just like meat eaters. We are surrounded by a culture of death. One party promotes the slaughter of innocent babies and the other innocent animals. If you need to kill out of necessity (to live) so be it. But killing should not be used for birth control, convenience or because it “tastes good.”

Nonsense, thats the only one I will vote for. The last thing Colorado needs is another corporate republican or fascist democrat. Tea partier or libertarian, we need someone who can take us into the future versus the corporate republican/fascist democrat stagnant cesspool we are now mired in.

What’s wrong with democracy in action? Let the best candidate win. Why deprive any candidate the right to participate in the Democratic process. What country do the Republican’s think this is? Maybe if the GOP broadened their appeal, it would not be necessary for a Libertarian to run for the same office. The Democrats do not seem to have that problem.

Because the statist Democrats and Republicans are scared out of their minds to engage any Libertarian on an even playing filed, because we mop the floor with them, and they know it, so they stack the deck to avoid it.

Apparently, some “Colorado Republicans” are ignorant about the recall process.
There is absolutely NO chance – zero, zip, zilch, nada, negatory – that the addition of a Libertarian candidate among those vying to replace Morse would help to “re-elect Morse” – unless some stupid Republicans refused to vote in favor of the recall for fear that some other candidate than their own might end up as the replacement.

The recall vote (“Should Morse stay or should he go”? to paraphrase the classic Clash song) is SEPARATE from the vote for candidates to replace him –
clearly, supporters of ANY of the candidates vying to be his successor (whether one of two or more Republicans, a Libertarian, or anyone else) would first vote to RECALL Morse before voting for their preference to replace him.

Either way, Morse gets recalled – voted out of office. As in, Sayonara.

Good grief, people – try doing some basic research before indulging in partisan bloviating.

Apparently, some “Colorado Republicans” are ignorant about the recall process.

There is absolutely NO chance – zero, zip, zilch, nada, negatory – that the addition of a Libertarian candidate among those vying to replace Morse would help to “re-elect Morse” – unless some stupid Republicans refused to vote in favor of the recall for fear that some other candidate than their own might end up as the replacement.

The recall vote (“Should Morse stay or should he go”? to paraphrase the classic Clash song) is SEPARATE from the vote for candidates to replace him –
clearly, supporters of ANY of the candidates vying to be his successor (whether one of two or more Republicans, a Libertarian, or anyone else) would first vote to RECALL Morse before voting for their preference to replace him.

Either way, Morse gets recalled – voted out of office. As in, Sayonara.

Good grief, people – try doing some basic research before indulging in partisan bloviating.

I invite you all to check into The El Paso County Libertarian Party & what we have going on. We are working hard to regain a foothold here in El Paso County (where the people that started the party had their first meeting).
Check us out on facebook or meetup. Come get involved & show why we no longer believe in the 2 party system.https://www.facebook.com/LPElPasohttp://www.meetup.com/LPElPaso/

Republicans should guarantee Libertarians that if the Libertarians stay away from close races, the Republicans in turn, would pull their candidates from hopeless districts in Denver and Boulder. This would let the Libertarians have a clean go at the social liberal, fiscal conservative block in these left leaning districts. I think they could win some of them.

Finally, if the Republicans gain control of the legislature, they should guarantee the Libertarians that the Republican majority will carry ten Libertarian bills to the senate and house floors under special order for full and extensive open debate. The Republicans can’t guarantee that any of these bills will pass, but at least they will get their day in the sun and be debated.

This is way more of a high visability platform than Libertarians have got legislatively in the last 40 years. Such an alliance would put the state back on solid fiscal footing and restore our second amendment rights.

The republicans are anti-american scum/. They want take your right to vote away and they want to tell women what to do with their bodies. These gun nuts are right wing extremists and SINGLE ISSUE VOTERS. They are the minority and they will lose.

First of all if the people in this district have not figured out that both the Democrats and Republicans are no longer what we have here they get what they deserve. Both parties have abandoned the Constitution and the Declaration. Both parties are pushing us down the same path. We have but a few in Washington today that are there working for the people. They are the Tea Party. The Democrat voters need to abandon their party and start over again just like the fed up Republicans have. You need to start a new Democratic party and the centerpiece should be the Constitution period. You need to find someone that will work for the people and you are not going to find it in someone with a D next to their name. Biden called all these people and told them what to do and they did it. They turned their backs on us and did what they were told. Put forth someone that is not loyal to either party and will carry out the will of the people.

I’m glad you’re happy being a Democrat. Too bad you have to steal money from me and every other taxpayer to fund your socialist dystopia though. And the Republicans do the same thing to prop up their imperial war machine. Obama = McCain= Romney = Bush

That’s too bad. The Democrats today are no longer Dems. They are Socialist Progressives so I must assume you are as well. I can tell you that if you are not part of the ruling elite things will not look so good to you a few years down the road. The ruling class of today could give a sh%& about any of us other than to make sure they keep winning those votes. Soon that won’t matter either. We can already see what these people really think about the poorest Americans. This immigration bill will exclude illegals from Obamacare and employers will then hire illegals to work over American Citizens. Those are facts. If you run a small business and have choice to pay a fine or save 5,0000 bucks a year you are going to hire the person that will not cost you any money. Rubio sold us out too. It isn’t just the Dems btw it is almost all of the lawmakers in Washington. Plenty of blame to go around in both parties.

Libertarians, who have had no role in the plurality electoral system administered by Democrats and Republicans, are not responsible for said system because it breaks down when more than two candidates run for office.

In the above races, if I didn’t know anything about the candidates and I didn’t see a Libertarian in the race, I wouldn’t vote in that race.

It is a fact that the Libertarian takes votes from the Republican party in El Paso county. If a Libertarian runs in the Morse recall it will mean they want anti-gun Morse to keep his seat! Plain and simple!!!

It is not a “fact.” I’m a libertarian. I vote for Libertarian Party candidates (and the occasional American Constitution candidate). I voted for Gary Johnson in the presidential election. You are operating under the illusion that libertarians such as myself are just Republicans votes waiting to happen. How does me voting Libertarian Party take away a single Republican vote? I was never going to vote Republican (or Democrat) to begin with. Unless the Republicans nominate candidates like Ron Paul, they will never get my vote.

Horse manure. Nobody is entitles to those votes to have them “taken;” they have to EARN them.
By your strange logic, we could easily say that Democrats take votes from Greens and Republicans from Libertarians, and non-voters take votes from voters, too.

NOT true during a recall election.
Your “splitting the vote” theory is invalid in this circumstance.
The only way the Republican will lose in a recall election is if:

a. The R candidate and L candidate are such poor choices that the voters choose NOT to recall and instead vote to retain.
(Morse does NOT get to against the R or the L if he is recalled on the ballot.)

b. The recall passes but the R candidate is such poor choice that the voters vote for the L candidate instead.

If the GOP wisely chose a candidate to represent the constituents then there is nothing to fear. There is no split.
This is more about the EPCO GOP fearing that the Libertarian actually
has a shot at winning in that district against the GOP’s anointed Herpin who LOST his INCUMBENT seat in that district and refuses to engage in discussion with anyone outside his elite circle.

EVERYBODY READ THIS !!!! If the Democrat party encourages the Libertarians to run a person in the Morse race or do not say anything on the issue it will mean the Libertarians are helping Morse get re-elected. We know the Republicans do not want them to run a candidate because it hurts the Republicans. It is very simple! If they run someone when the Democrats want them to and the Republicans don’t want them to the Libertarians are aiding Senator Morse to win the recall. After Morse tried to put a law in to sue the owner,seller and manufacture of a gun if a criminal hits you over the head ,steals your gun and kills someone with it! This will show the Libertarians are just the party to help anti-Second Amendment Democrats get elected which I have suspected for sometime!!!

What fantasy world do you live in? Turn off Rush and Fox News for 10 minutes and just think about what you posted. How does that make any sense at all? Seriously, I’m not trying to be condescending or anything. But that argument makes absolutely no sense. This may be anecdotal, but whatever. I’m a libertarian. I want Morse out of office as much as anyone. No problem there. He should be recalled. The issue is who is going to replace him? As a libertarian who believes very strongly in the principles of liberty the only candidate I could support is someone who shares those principles. If the Republicans nominate someone like that (which they won’t), fine. I could vote for a libertarian Republican. But if the Republicans nominate a typical Republican then I will vote Libertarian. If there is no Libertarian in the race nor a libertarian Republican, then I’ll write-in Mickey Mouse before I vote for a Republican or Democrat. It’s that simple. My vote is not in the pocket of the Republicans. My vote is not a vote for Morse. My vote is a vote for liberty. End of story. This insane argument that a vote for the LP is a vote for Morse is so completely illogical. If candidates A, B, and C are running against each other with A and B being the frontrunners and C being the dark horse, if I vote for candidate C how is that also a vote for B? Because I’m not voting for A? No, its a vote for C and only C.

Bottom line! Libertarians are very confused people and have no understanding of the real world! Actually even Democrats have a much better grip on reality than the Libertarins but they are very dangerous to our freedoms.

The Libertarians can’t win an election. You might as well stay home and watch bad movies! It looks like they work for the Democrats by taking votes away from Republicans. You saw the anti-gun laws Morse put in and the Libertarins want to help him stay in office. They are trying to trick you into keeping anti-gun Democrats in office.

What a bunch of stupidity from the GOP. Look, if you ran people that were neither Democrat-light or too far Right, perhaps you’d get enough votes. It’s your own fault for not winning, not the fault of anyone else. You all are just as bad as President Obama blaming Bush for his own failings. Wake up.

Ignorant comments on “vote-splitting” or suggestions that adding another candidate will “accomplish re-electing Morse” fail to recognize the fact that the dynamics of a Recall election are completely different from a typical run for office pitting candidates against each other.
Since the Recall vote comes in 2 parts (Part 1, the Recall vote, is a simple “Yes/No” to remove the incumbent; Part 2 is a vote for successor if Part 1 succeeds), there is NO way that adding more candidates seeking to oust the incumbent will result in his/her re-election.
If anything, it is likely that MORE people vying to Recall the incumbent and replace them will IMPROVE the likelihood of the Recall vote’s success, as more people working GOTV (and offering more choices that might appeal to a potential Recall vote) improves turnout AGAINST the incumbent (even if they disagree on who might replace ’em).

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.